The University of South Florida Bulls finished their 2023 season in dominating fashion, drubbing the Syracuse Orangemen 45-0 in Thursday night’s Boca Raton Bowl. The Bulls finished the season 7-6, their first season above .500 since 2018, and first shutout in 14 years. Quarterback Byrum Brown led the way, tossing three touchdown passes.
The Indian Shores Police Department's 2023 Charity Toy Drive and No Shave fundraiser exceeded all goals, Chief Rick Swann announced Thursday; the Indian Shores-Redington Shores departments delivered five truckloads of toys to the Santa’s Angels distribution facility over the past 10 days. The departments also raised $12,171 in direct and in-kind monetary donations to be shared between four charities serving Pinellas County. Santa’s Angels will provide toys, food and other essential items to 88 local families.
St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce officials are hiring two new coordinators to work in the organization’s downtown office. The community alliance coordinator will serve a critical role in supporting the recently established We Are St. Pete Community Alliance, which will help ensure equitable economic development. The Chamber is also hiring a marketing and communications coordinator.
University of South Florida head football coach Alex Golesh continues to impress on and off the field as he welcomed 25 new Bulls to the team Wednesday. Rivals ranked USF’s 2024 recruiting class No. 48 nationally, well ahead of Tulsa (No. 63), the closest conference foe. That represents the Bulls’ highest-rated recruiting class since 2014 (No.39).
Dr. Julia Pfaff, chair of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s Department of Head and Neck Surgery, was recently inducted into the prestigious American College of Surgeons. Pfaff’s induction coincides with the hospital’s 300 Inspire procedure that treats sleep apnea without requiring patients to wear an air pressure mask while they sleep. Pfaff is the nation’s second-most prolific Inspire provider.
Google recently released its Local Year in Search 2023 report, and Tampa Bay was the nation’s only metropolitan area with “lagoon near me” as a top trending search. That query placed second to “pawn shop near me.” The Last of Us was the area’s top trending TV show, and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” was the most searched concert.
PGA Tour officials recently named the 2023 Valspar Championship its “Most Fan-First Event. The award recognizes the tournament that provides an exceptional fan experience through services like affordable ticket options, parking and transportation accessibility, food options, amenity stations and social media engagement. Palm Harbor’s Innisbrook Resort will host the 2024 Valspar Championship on its Copperhead Course March 18-24.
The Florida Aquarium celebrated its one millionth visitor Tuesday, the first time the Tampa institution has reached that milestone in a calendar year. David Narankevicius, his wife and two young sons set the new record on their first trip to the aquarium. The family received a one-year membership, several gifts, a complimentary lunch, a VIP penguin encounter, a 75-minute wild dolphin cruise and a photo shoot with CEO Roger Germann and costumed characters.
Positive Impact Worldwide, the St. Petersburg Police Department and Team Florida Domino’s Pizza Franchise Group have partnered to giveaway over 600 free pizzas Christmas Eve. Volunteers will hand out the hot foot from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at Tangerine Plaza in South St. Pete. Anyone is welcome to join the car line at 1770 22nd St. S. with “no questions asked.”
The new Speer YMCA has officially opened at 501 62nd Avenue NE. The soft opening, with limited hours and no group exercise classes, runs through Jan. 1. The YMCA will fully open with classes, programming and regular hours Jan. 2.
Alert Pinellas, the county's emergency notification system, is warning that temperatures will drop into the 40s with wind chills in the high 30s tonight in Pinellas County. Residents are warned to protect pets and sensitive plants. Cold weather shelters – all provide a place to sleep and some offer meals – will be open at 6 p.m. Homeless Leadership Alliance shelter information can be found here.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Green Bay Packer 34-20 on the road Sunday behind the arm of quarterback Baker Mayfield. He became the first visiting quarterback to ever post a perfect passer rating of 158.3 at Lambeau Field. Mayfield threw for 381 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions and kept the Bucs’ playoff hopes alive as the team improved to 7-7.
